Spring vehicle-wheel.



Patented May 30, 1911.

ZZmm

W H FAHRNEY SPRING VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1,1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. FAI-IRNEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

E SPRING VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1911.

Application filed March 1, 1911. Serial No. 611,645.

L'et'ter'YPatent of the United States No. 979,269, granted to me December 20, 1910.

It is found, in the practical operation of the wheel of my aforesaid patent, that the resilient play permitted to the band-form of annular spring therein (which is shown split, though it need not be) is undesirably limited owing to the extent of its length which is confined, in the use of the wheel, against projection-heads on the annular rim thereof surrounding the spring. That condition is due to the fact that, with the spring under compression in the upward direction from the tread-portion of the wheel in contact with the road-bed, so much of the length of the spring bears against the then upper members of the series of projection-heads as to prevent its compression under the weight of the load into elliptical or approximately elliptical shape, since only so much or about so much of the spring as is forced by the Weight out of contact with these heads exerts resilient action.

The object of my improvement is to rovide a construction of spring, to supp ant the band-spring of the patent, which will compensate for the insufiiciency referred to, and which will, moreover, enable the number of springs to be employed in a wheel to be reduced to the minimum, with the advantage of also reducing the weight of the wheel.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly sectional, of a spring vehicle-wheel provided with my improvement; Fig. 2 is a broken perspective view, partly in section, showing the construction of the wheel-rim as illustrated in the aforesaid patent but with the form of spring of my present improvement in its cooperative relation thereto, and Fig. 3 is a View showing the sinuous form of the two springs employed.

With the exception of the springs 4, 4, the construct-ion of the wheel, in all its details, may, as shown, be the same as that illus- 10 the vehicle-wheel which forms the subject of trated and described in my said patent: Spokes 5 radiating from a hub 6 carry the felly 7, which is surrounded by a rim 8 having radiating from it at intervals T-shaped projections comprising outwardly-tapering stems 9 with cross-heads 10 on their outer ends; and a tire-portion 11, of general U- shape in cross-section, provided with radial tooth-shaped projections 12 disposed in staggered relation to the projections on the rim to register with the spaces between the latter. Each spring 4 is an annulus formed of adequately heavy wire into the sinuous shape illustrated. Only two of these springs are required, one being confined, by expansion, against the under side of the heads 11 at each side of the annular series.

of stems 9.

With the wheel in use, the load it carries compresses the projections 12, at and adjacent to its point of contact with the road-bed, against the springs to cause them to resiliently cushion the motion of the wheel. The springs are unobstructed against inward compression, so that the entire length of each, except the portion which is forced outwardly by the compression from the roadbed against heads 10 about the upper section of the wheel, acts resiliently to perform its cushioning purpose; and the loss of the resilient action of the section so confined is compensated for by the supplementary resilient action of the undulating sections of the spring.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an elastic vehicle-wheel, the combination with a wheel-center, of a rim, a tire surrounding the rim to form therewith an interposed annular space and provided with internal projections, and annular sinuous springs confined by expansion in said space but unsupported against inward compression and cooperating with said projections to elastically support the tire.

2. In an elastic vehicle-wheel, the combination with a wheel-center, of a rim provided with headed spaced projections, an annular sinuous spring extending about the rim under the heads of said projections to be confined by expansion against them in spaced relation to the rim but unsupported against inward compression, and an annular tire-portion surrounding the rim and provided with internal projections at intervals to register with the spaces between the projections on the rim and engage the spring lar tire-portion vsurrounding the rim and 10 through said spaces. provided With internal projections to regis- 3. In an elastic Vehicle-Wheel, the comter with the spaces between said heads and bination With a Wheel-center, of a rim proengage the springs through said spaces.

5 vided With spaced T-shaped projections, an-

nular sinuous springs extending about the WILLIAM FAHRNEY' rim under the heads of said projections at In presence of opposite sidesof their stems to be confined R. A. RAYMOND, in spaced relation to the rim, and an annu- R. A. SOHAEFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

